by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - 22-year-old Zachary Tenorio was sentenced in the San Diego Superior Court today to four years in prison. In July he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing his brother Jonathan Jake Tenorio in January. Zachary was in San Diego at the time for a Jujitsu tournament and was staying with his brother. The two reportedly got into a drunken fight which ended tragically. Jonathan was a Naval Academy graduate and was assigned to U.S.S. Bunker Hill in San Diego. Family and friends have described the two brothers as being really close.

Zachary along with several members of his family appeared before San Diego Superior Court Judge Runston Maino. KUAM spoke with his father Joe Tenorio via telephone who told KUAM he asked the judge for mercy. He said he told the Judge that he and his family had already been sentenced to two life sentences with the loss of two of his sons and didn't want to endure a third with Zachary. Several years ago Joe lost one of his sons to a motorcycle accident and Jake earlier this year.

Mr. Tenorio added that his son's attorney, the San Diego District Attorney as well as the Judge acknowledged that no one really knew what happened between the two brothers that evening and as a result found it difficult to come to a conclusion in terms of the sentence that should be issued.

Although the District Attorney was asking for a 7 year sentence, the Judge sentenced him to four. Mr. Tenorio says however after calculating in other factors such as credit for time served, Zachary will serve only 2 years and 10 months.

Mr. Tenorio tells KUAM that after today's hearing he and his family can now see a small light at the end of this long tunnel, "it's going to take two years to walk to the end of this tunnel but that's what we're going to do," he said. Mr. Tenorio also thanked his family and friends that stood by them during this ordeal.